Sugar dispenser



Jan. 22, 1957 A` E K|NG 2,778,544

SUGAR DISPENSER Filed oct. 4, 1954 1N VENT 0R.

INDE/V6 V.

United States Patent() SUGAR DISPENSER Ace E. King, Kansas City, Mo.

Application October 4, 1954, Serial No. 459,910

Claims. (Cl. Z22- 456) This invention relates to the eld of dispensers for granular material and, more particularly, to an improved type ofl table dispenser for sugar or the like.

The most important object of this invention is to provide a sugar dispenser adapted. for automatically measuring a predetermined amount of sugar to be dispensed each time the dispenser is operated.

Another important object of this invention is to provide such a dispenser of improved construction resulting in advantages by way of increased sanitation, irnproved decorative qualities and substantial savings in manufacturing costs.

Other important objects of the invention, including important details of construction, will be made clear or become apparent as the following description of the invention progresses, references being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view of the dispenser of this invention with parts being broken away for clarity of illustration.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional View taken on line II-II of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line III-III of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view taken on line lVlV of Fig. 2, parts broken away for clarity of illustration; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the spout and measuring bin assembly per se.

ln the drawing, the numeral generally designates a cylindrical container having a side wall 12, a bottom wall 14 and a top cover 16. Side wall 12 may conveniently be formed from a length of cylindrical, plastic tubing, and bottom wall 14, which is also preferably of plastic, may be inserted in one open end of side wall 12 and therein mounted by any suitable, permanent adhesive material or, preferably, by thermal bonding of the plastic materials in a manner well known in the plastic art. Cover 16 is also molded or otherwise formed of plastic and includes an arcuate top portion 18 and a down-turned ilange portion 20 which is adapted to tightly, but removably, engage upon the normally uppermost end of side Wall 12 to close the top of container 10.

A portion of side wall 12 adjacent the zone of juncture of the latter with the plane of bottom wall 14,

i is cut away to present a polygonal opening 22 in side wall 12; and a portion of bottom wall 14 adjacent opening 22 in side Wall 12 is cut away to present a polygonal opening 24. Communicating openings 22 and 24 provide a means of egress for sugar within container 10 through a spout and measuring bin assembly generally designated 26, the form of which will be most clear from reference to Fig. 5.

Assembly 26 is preferably formed out of transparent plastic material as a unitary molded body in the configuration of an L-shaped, channelled member 28 having a normally vertical, longer leg 30 provided with a vertical channel 32 and a shorter, normally horizontal rice le'g 34 having an upwardly facing channel 36. Upper leg 30 of member 28 is emplaced on the exterior of sidewall ,12. with its edges 38 and 40 abutting against side wall 12 to close in the otherwise open side of channel 32. Member 28 is preferably outwardly flared as at 42 to present a delivery lip on the spout provided by leg 3i? of member 28 when so abutted againstl side wall l2.

The :shorter leg 34 of member 28 includes a bottom piece 44, Awhich is planar and normally horizontal, and a pair of opposed, spaced side pieces 46 and 48, and an end piece 50. Side piecesv 46 and 48 are of heights substantially equal to opening 22 of side wall 1,2, and are adapted to abut tightly against the lateral edges of opening 22 when assemblyv 26 is emplaced with edges 38 and 40 of leg 30 abutting side wall 12 and bottom piece 44 in coplan-ar relationship with bottom wall 14 of container 10,- as clearly shown in the drawing. When so emplaced, assembly 26 is preferably held upon con tainer 10 by bonding between the plastic materials of assembly 26 and container 10 or, if desired, could be permanently mounted by means of a suitable adhesive substance. As will be ,clear from the illustrations, assembly 26 communicates with the interior of container 10 by means of openings 22 and 24, which it iills. End piece 50 is of greater height than :side pieces 46 and 48 in order to act as a baffle in connection with ythe measuring of sugar into channel 36 when the dispenser is tipped for delivery.

Reference is made to my copending application Serial No. 423,708, filed April 16, 1954, entitled Dispenser For Granular Material, for a fuller explanation of the measuring action of the bin presented by bottom piece 44, side pieces 46 and 48, and end piece 50. It will, therefore, suffice here to state that when a quantity of sugar is provided within the container 10, a predetermined, measured amount thereof will be received within channel 36 whenever the container is in its normal upright position, such measured amount of sugar will be delivered through spout channel 32 when the container is tipped, and end piece 50 by its baffle action will prevent the entry of undesired additional sugar into spout channel 32 until the container 10 is returned to its normal` upright condition in preparation for a subsequent use.

As noted, all of the parts of the dispenser of this invention lare preferably formed of transparent plastic material. The construction is extremely simple so as to be both foolproof in operation and decorative when used in restaurants or the like. Since there are no moving parts involved in the operation of the dispenser, there is little tendency for wear. Perhaps one of the principal advantages of the present improved dispenser is, however, the great savings in manufacturing costs that are effected by its mode of construction wherein only four pieces of easily available and inexpensive material are utilized in a manner permitting easy fabrication and assembly.

It will be perceived that certain minor changes and modifications coul-d be made in some of the details of construction without materially departing from the true spirit of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the invention should be deemed limited only within the scope of the appended claims. Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A sugar dispenser comprising a normally upright, cylindrical container having a bottom wall, a side Wall and a top cover, the side wall having an opening therein adjacent the bottom of the container, and combination spout and measuring bin assembly comprising an L- shaped, channelled member having its shorter leg extending substantially horizontally into the container through said opening and its longer leg extending upwardly from the opening along the exterior of the side wall and in engagement with the latter to present an open-top spout outside the container, there being an upwardly extending end piece on the member and ex tending laterally thereacross within the container 'to present open top, measuring bin within the container in communication with the lower extremity of said spout.

2. A sugar dispenser comprising a container having a side Wall and a bottom wall, adjacent portions of each of said walls being cut away to present an opening in the container at the zone of juncture of said walls; a combination external spout and internal measuring bin assembly comprising an elongated member having a longitudinal channel along one side thereof, a bottom piece on the member closing one end of the channel and extending laterally from said side ot the member, an end piece rising from the extremity of the bottom piece opposite the member, land a pair of `spaced lside pieces rising from the bottom piece and extending between the end piece and the member, said bottom piece being complementary to the cutaway portion of the bottom wall;

and means mounting said assembly with said side of the member against the exterior of the side wall, said bottom piece within the cutaway portion of the bottom wall and in coplanar, abutting relationship to the latter, and said side pieces extending within the container, said end piece being within the container and cooperating with said bottom piece and said side pieces to present an open top, measuring bin within the container in communication with the lower extremity of said longitudinal channel of the member.

in invention as set forth in claim 2, wherein said container is provided with a removable top cover.

4. in the invention as set forth in claim 2, wherein said container and said assembly are transparent.

S. ln the invention as set forth in claim 2, wherein said assembly comprises a unitary body of plastic mate rial.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,261,072 Uyehara Apr. 2, 1918 1,498,491 Stinson et al. lune 17, 1924 2,107,654 Vail Feb. 8, 1938 

